


Separate Paths

by whisperedmemories



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Except Lunafreya Lives, Gen, Hints of Prompto/Noctis (can be interpreted as romantic or platonic), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Luna/Noctis (can be interpreted as romantic or platonic), Mostly Canon Compliant, POV Alternating, Temporary Character Death, World of Ruin (Final Fantasy), World of Ruin Big Bang (Final Fantasy XV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:33:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29469510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whisperedmemories/pseuds/whisperedmemories
Summary: Prompto, Ignis and Gladio all try to deal with the darkness and the daemons in their own way, and through it, they learn that they might be better off together.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia & Prompto Argentum, Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia, Ignis Scientia & Talcott Hester, Prompto Argentum & Ignis Scientia, Prompto Argentum & Lunafreya Nox Fleuret
Comments: 11
Kudos: 8
Collections: World of Ruin Big Bang





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the World of Ruin Big Bang!
> 
> The lovely art pieces for this fic were done by Saber! You can find her on Twitter (@Saber22209), AO3 (Silver_Aria) and Instagram (winter_aria).

Gladio’s bag dropped heavily on the floor of the cabin, the thud echoing through the small hallway. He was quiet, the seconds ticking by as he strained his ears to hear anything— any kind of movement that indicated Ignis had heard him return. Because he _always_ heard Gladio return. He sucked in a breath— held it. But everything was still so quiet. He exhaled and knelt down beside his bag, pulling out a half-empty bottle of water, and then the jacket that had been torn in his last hunt.

He wished Ignis would come out and yell at him. It beat the cold exhaustion that was always present now whenever he spoke with Gladio. Quiet, clipped, barely more than a few sentences.

Gods, when had things gotten this bad? Ignis used to be able to let his guard down around him. Confide in him. But every day that passed without Noct’s return made them all more tense. More tired. Just heavier, really.

He knew damn well Ignis wanted to do more. He was adjusting, all things considered _._ He was used to the darkness. It should be _harder_ for Gladio.

And it was.

That was the problem. Gladio couldn’t bear to let Ignis know how much he was struggling. Ignis would take the brunt of it for him if they fought together. Ignis would take the hits. Ignis would cut down the daemons and leave Gladio standing there like a fool, woefully underprepared.

So Gladio practiced harder. He fought harder. And he slipped out at night the moment his phone beeped with a call for another hunt. And when he returned, beaten and bloody and exhausted to the bone, Ignis stood quietly by and seethed.

But he never yelled.

That was what got under Gladio’s skin the most. They’d both said things they’d come to regret, but instead of talking things over like they used to, Gladio stormed out and picked up the first hunt Cor or one of the other hunters gave him, and Ignis… well, he didn’t know what Ignis did. That hurt, too.

He took a deep breath, and flicked on the light. “Ignis?”

There was no response, but he didn’t expect one. The room felt heavy. _Wrong._ He thought it a bit overkill to bring out his greatsword, so he reached for his small dagger instead. A part of him had half a mind to try summoning one from the armiger, but if it didn’t work, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. Better to hold onto the hope that Noct might still be alive somewhere than to risk reaching for magic that might not work.

He had to stay hopeful. For himself and for everyone else. He could see the hunters starting to lose hope, and he wouldn’t join them in that despair. He’d stick to carrying his weapon around and he would believe in Noct’s return. He had to hold onto that goal. He wouldn’t let his efforts to keep the daemons at bay and the world somewhat functioning be for nothing.

He took a deep breath, quietly approaching the door of the bedroom, and pressing on it with the palm of his free hand. When the light from the hall washed over the bedroom, the arm holding the knife dropped limply at his side.

“Iggy,” he said, his voice strained as he tried to keep it level. “Were you just planning on sneaking out while I was gone then? That ain’t like you. I thought we talked things over.”

Ignis’ backpack was on the bed. He zipped it up before Gladio could get a peak inside. “Yes. As did I. Turns out you’ve gotten worse at listening over the last six months. Regardless.” He stood to face Gladio, eyes level with Gladio’s face though he knew they couldn’t see him. “I’m not sneaking anywhere. I’m leaving. I knew you’d try to stop me. My words seem to mean little to you lately, else I would have joined you on those hunts.”

Gladio opened his mouth, but couldn’t find the right words. Ignis was right. Had Gladio come home even five minutes sooner maybe he could have him Ignis out of packing his things. But he’d been out on his own. The prospect of Ignis doing the same filled him with the same rage he was sure Ignis felt whenever we woke up to find him gone. But no, this had to be different. Ignis couldn’t leave. Gladio wasn’t ready. He was… “How long you expecting to be gone?”

Ignis’ answer was short. Firm. “I don’t know.”

Gladio flicked the bedroom light on, but made no other move to approach.

After a moment, Ignis continued: “I cannot sit here and let you go on such dangerous hunts alone while I putter around the house. I won’t do it any longer. If you don’t want me joining you on hunts I’ll find my own. I am not helpless, Gladiolus. I refuse to be treated as such.”

He knew that. Ignis could handle more know than Gladio ever could. The dark didn’t hinder him. He knew he should just tell him that. If he could speak openly to anyone, it was Ignis. And yet. “I’m not treating you like—”

“You most certainly are.” Ignis cut him off, his tone biting. “If you thought I could hold my own, we’d be doing those hunts together. I’ve spoken with Dave and the Marshal. I know those hunts are more than one man should be taking.” He paused. Gladio caught the subtle shake in Ignis’ hand before he curled his fingers into a fist.

“I will not sit by and do nothing. Talcott has caught word of a royal tomb somewhere west of Saxham Outpost. It seems like it’s quite obtainable and thought we might be interested. I’m going to track it down. And then perhaps the others as well. I don’t know when I’ll be back.” He paused once more. “I would like to have something to present to Noct upon his return. And perhaps look for anything else I can do for him. I must at least try, Gladio.”

“Are you going alone?”

“I can’t very well take an eight year old along, so for now, yes. I’m going to do this with or without you, but you have to stop blocking my path.”

Gladio stepped away from the door, settling his back up against the dresser and crossing his arms. “I never said you couldn’t do it, Iggy. I know you can. Hell, I’ve seen you fight with and without your eyesight. I know you can hold your own. I just…”

Ignis picked up his bag. “Then what?” He asked. “Sitting here while you risk your life is not something I will settle for. There’s work to be done. Noct _will_ return. He will.”

He still felt the weight of the dagger in his hands, and he set it down on the nightstand, the gentle clattering it made catching Ignis’ attention for just a brief moment.

“Not using the armiger?”

Gladio frowned at the knife. “Didn’t this time.” He knew Ignis could see right through his lie, but he must have decided to let it slide. Even if it did work, if Noctis was definitely still alive like Gladio hoped, when he would return was a whole other matter. There was only so much they could do. _He_ could do. “I believe he will too, Iggy. I’m helping train and recruit new hunters and the Kingsglaive. We’ll build a stronghold. The more people we got helping us, the better chance we have at keeping these daemons under control.”

“And yet you do it without me.”

His chest felt tight. He did. But it wasn’t for Ignis’ sake. “I don’t want you to leave,” Gladio finally admitted. “I wanna come home and see you in the house, see you _here_.”

“I can’t be,” Ignis sighed. “I know how to fight in the dark, Gladiolus,” he said, echoing Gladio’s own thoughts as he fixed his dark set of glasses back over his eyes. “There’s work to be done, and I intend to do it. I’ll track down all the information I can and try and collect the remaining royal arms for Noct’s return. I need to do this.”

Gladio blinked hard. “First Prompto, then Iris took off to hunt daemons on her own. Cor’s working with the glaives. We both know he’s never in one place for very long. Noct’s stuck in the damn crystal for who knows how long. And now you’re leaving, too?”

“You chose this first, Gladiolus. Now it’s my turn to chose.”

He studied Ignis, trying to catch any hint of hesitation, but with his glasses on and his mouth set thin, the only body language he could get a read on was that Ignis had his mind made up. And probably for some time now. “…When will you be back?”

Ignis swallowed. “I don’t know. I can’t say for sure that I will. At least not here.”

“Then what, this is just it?” Gladio tried to keep his voice steady, but seeing Ignis standing there so _calmly_ about _leaving_ him made his face flush with anger. He was glad Ignis couldn’t see it. Though— he was sure he knew. Ignis always knew everything. It was like Iggy could read his mind sometimes. But if he was reading it now, he wasn’t showing it.

He’d know how desperately Gladio was to have him stay.

Ignis was speaking again. “You will know where to find me should you ever wish to join me. But there are things I need to do. Things I cannot do here, and cannot do with you if you don’t even trust me enough to join you at your side during hunts. So yes, Gladio. This is just it.”

Gladio didn’t try to stop him as Ignis stepped resolutely passed him, maintaining his resolve until he reached the front door of their apartment.

“Gladio,” Ignis said, his fingers curled around the doorknob, and for a beat, Gladio thought he was going to change his mind, that he’d drop his backpack and walk away from his royal duty and back into Gladio’s arms, but instead, Ignis added, “Should I run into Iris, I’ll tell her to give you a call.”

He pulled the door open and didn’t even look back at Gladio as he stepped out. The door clicked shut.

Gladio didn’t even know where Ignis planned to go after Saxham. He’d forgotten to ask. He’d forgotten to ask a whole damn lot of questions that he’d never know the answers to now.

He turned on the living room light. Then the kitchen. Then every last light in the house before slumping down on the couch. He needed a shower.

A phone was buzzing. He fumbled for his pocket, hoping it might be Ignis having a change of heart. Or Iris. Or _someone_ , when he realized the phone ringing wasn’t his. It was Ignis’, coming from the kitchen, and with a sinking feeling in his chest, Gladio realized that that had probably been intentional, too.

The phone stopped ringing just as he reached it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to Saber for the cover art for this chapter! You can find her on Twitter (@Saber22209), AO3 (Silver_Aria) and Instagram (winter_aria).

Prompto had been on hunts like this before. He’d gotten a tip from Cindy about a group of daemons that had cropped up around Malmalam Thicket, and agreed to take it up. It wasn’t the first hunt he’d done without the guys, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. It was just something about being _here_ , when the last time he’d been to the thicket was with Noct and the others… but it was fine.

 _He_ was fine. Had to keep the daemons at bay for Noct when he came back and all.

The thunder crashed around him and he sucked in a breath. Okay, so maybe he could have picked a better day. The storm was already making his visibility suck big time, and together with the already dark sky— how long had it been since he’d seen the sun? A few years now? Longer? He’d lost track— made for pretty horrible conditions. But he’d taken the job. He was going to see it through, even if the only one he’d be proving it to would be himself.

… And okay, maybe he should have asked Cor, he thought, as he parted some branches with one hand while tugging his jacket up to cover his face from the rain. But then again, he’d called Gladio and Ignis just yesterday. If they’d wanted to talk to him, they would’ve called him back once in the last… were they at three years now, give or take? But they didn’t.

And he got it, really. Without Noct, what was he to them? A nuisance at best, a burden at worst. He didn’t want to keep bothering them. He’d gotten the message loud and clear. And last he’d heard, Cor had his hands full holding down the fort at the Hunter’s HQ. He didn’t want to burden him.

As he stepped through the dense bramble, something snapped against his shoulder. Prompto gasped, whirling around and drawing out his gun as he tried to gauge whether it was an enemy or just an offending tree branch.

A sudden burst of lightning lit up the sky, and in the moments before the next crash of thunder, he heard a low droning that sent shivers down his spine.

Soldier wasps.

The daemons, wherever they were, would have to wait. Prompto dodged a wasp diving for him as the lightning struck again, illuminating the insects and giving Prompto a clear shot. He fired twice, three times, then ducked and rolled as three more seemed to materialize out of thin air. A nest. He must have stumbled right into one.

He’d taken these guys before. He could take them now. He’d just have to use the lightning to his advantage. He dropped to his knees, feeling across the ground as he tried to parse out the buzzing from the heavy pattering of the rain.

He really should’ve thought to bring his bioblaster— or any of his other machinery weapons, really— but he hadn’t expected to run into wasps in this kind of weather. The mud squishing under his knees, Prompto jumped up with the next strike of lightning and fired enough successive shots to bring down a second wasp.

“You got it,” he murmured to himself as the wasp dropped. He darted to the left as the last two made a beeline for him, but the mud had made the ground slippery, and his shoe slid and his leg buckled underneath him.

He hissed under his breath as he thrust his arm out to try to brace his fall, when the leaves and root underneath his hand _moved_. Oh, Gods. Mandrakes?

Something punched his shoulder.

He winced, crumpling to his knees, his palms sloshing in the mud as the mandrake took a swipe and moved out of the way. He crawled forward and then rolled over onto his back, trying to ignore the pain of the sting shooting through his shoulder and left arm. At the next flash of lightning, he aimed shakily up at the angry soldier wasp and fired several shots.

As his surroundings were once again enveloped in the darkness, he could only hope that one the bullets had hit its mark.

He stayed on his back, despite the prickling pain that had begun to spread to more of his back. He couldn’t risk more wasps coming up from behind again, not when he had the rain going against him as well. His head was buzzing from the sound of them surrounding him.

Crap, what was it Ignis had told them about soldier wasps?

His hand was shaking even more when he fired his next shot. The first bullet lodged itself into the tree some distance behind the wasp, but thanks to the adrenaline from the wasps descending on him, he didn’t miss his next several shots, and one of the two remaining bees dropped dead. Prompto finally scrambled to his feet, his arms feeling a lot heavier than they had before.

One more wasp, one mandrake, he could… he could…

He stumbled forward, his head spinning. Where was he trying to go again?

Something bashed into him and he slammed back to the ground, hands, clothes, hair, everything covered in mud.

And then he heard the telltale squelching of a flan… no, no, it was purple. A _gelatin_. And where there was one daemon, there was likely to be more.

If only he could remember which daemons he’d been tasked to kill here. His heart racing, he reached his hand up to fire at the gelatin, only to realize with mounting panic that he was no longer holding his gun.

“Where’d it go?” he thought, or maybe he spoke the words out loud. He wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure of anything.

Claws tore at his shoulder as he scrambled around the mud, his fingers squishing into the dirt as he searched frantically for his gun, a stick, anything he could use to drive off the daemons and creatures striking at him from every direction.

He had to get the hell outta here.

There were bushes in front of him. He got to his knees, stumbling across the ground, still grasping around for his gun as he did so. His limbs felt heavy and his head spun, and you know what? This was a terrible idea going it alone. He should’ve asked… he should’ve asked…

Who should he have asked again?

The branches struck his face as he dragged himself into the bushes, willing his limbs to work until suddenly he was on his feet again. He lurched forward.

He was no doubt covered in blood. Everything felt wet and slimy and slippery, but this time the lightning didn’t bring relief. It lit up a blurry forest, and the last thing he saw before he toppled face-first into the mud was another daemon ambling towards him.

***

He wasn’t dead.

He also wasn’t in the woods anymore.

His head throbbed and his body felt weak, but he wasn’t _dead_. That had to count for something, right? As he blinked back the fatigue that thrummed through his body, he heard a door creak open.

“Awake, you are.”

 _What?_ Prompto wanted to ask, but he was still weak and a bit groggy, and before he could turn to look at who spoke or even give them an answer, a hand steadied itself on his back.

“Healed you, I did.”

“Wh- who are you?” Prompto managed. “How’d you find me?”

He listened quietly for several moments to the rustling and bustling about from behind him as he tried to piece together what had happened. He was on a hunt. It had been raining. He’d been outnumbered…

A cup was pressed into his hands. “Drink.”

Prompto lifted his eyes to see a grey-haired old woman, a black cloak pulled around her shoulders. He glanced back down at the cup, and then back at the woman. She looked familiar. “Ezma?”

The woman’s lips pressed thin. “Kimya,” she corrected. “Still in Malmalam Thicket, you are. Brought you here, I did.”

“But the daemons…” Prompto started again. There were so many. He had lost track of where he’d been. They should have killed him. Why didn’t they kill him? His back was sore. His shoulder was sore. His arms felt bruised and achy as he held the cup, his head tilted down as he stared at the liquid swirling around in it.

“ _Drink_.”

Shakily, Prompto lifted the cup to his lips and drank. It wasn’t like anything he’d tasted before, its flavors a mix of rose and some kind of berry, with maybe a hint of something else he couldn’t quite place.

The woman— Kimya— reached out to take the cup, and Prompto handed it back to her, noticing as he did so that the pain in his shoulder wasn’t quite as bad as it had been just moments ago.

“Wh- what was that?” He stammered. “Some kinda potion?”

“Something like that,” Kimya replied. “Made it special, I did. In bad shape, you were.”

“Tell me about it,” Prompto sighed. The potion felt different from the ones he was used to taking, but it seemed to be working the same, lessening the pain of the bruises and knitting together the scrapes and scratches on his body from the branches and the daemons. “Think I bit off more than I could chew. Forgot this place was full of bugs, too.” He shuddered and forced a laugh, but Kimya didn’t even crack a smile in response.

Prompto’s shoulders sagged. “Yeah, I know. Should’ve been easy.”

“Are you a hunter?”

Prompto glanced up, studying the woman’s face and taking note of the crease in her brow. “I mean, not really. Kinda? I took a hunt, but I wouldn’t say I’m a hunter. I’m just trying to get rid of the daemons more than anything. Trying to make this place better for when Noct… for… King Noctis.”

Kimya paused, taking a step back. Her frown deepened.

He fell silent, silently kicking himself for even saying anything at all about Noct. Kimya studied him with a hardened gaze as he shifted uncomfortably and chewed his lip. For all he knew, she could be _glad_ Noct was gone. Maybe she didn’t care for Lucis. Maybe she’d…

“Wait here, you will,” Kimya said. “Someone you should meet, there is.” She stepped out of the room, leaving Prompto once more with his thoughts.

He still had more questions to ask her: How did she find him? How did he survive? _Was_ he even alive? Whatever had happened, he was, at the very least, no longer covered in mud, and he was feeling more energy thrum through him by the minute. Those daemons had really done a number on him.

Someone stepped into the room again, but when Prompto glanced up again, it wasn’t Kimya standing in the doorway.

It was _Lunafreya._


	3. Chapter 3

The music was pulsing in his ears. If he hadn’t just come from Malmalam Thicket, he’d have welcomed the subtle undertones of jazz as a welcome (and, dare he say, calming) distraction from the burbling of daemons and the grating buzzing of the soldier wasps.

It had been years since he’d been to a bar, and he hadn’t anticipated the way all of the noises vied for his attention, all overlapping and indistinct. The music was just a tad too loud, the people a touch too talkative, but they were _alive_ and pleasant, even though their words carried an undertone of grief. It would have to do. He resisted the urge to keep his head down as he tried to pick out the sounds that weren’t the music or the conversations he wasn’t invited into.

“Sir? Are you gonna order anything?” The bartender asked.

Ignis was certain the bartender had asked at least once already, as now he had leaned close enough to feel his warm breath on his forehead, blowing loose the few remaining strands of hair that had still held its styling from the other day. His hair gel could withstand dungeons, it seemed, but apparently the bartender had been too much.

“Surprise me,” Ignis answered, not having the energy to ask about the availability of any of his old favorites. After a moment, he added, “Make it strong.”

“That kinda day, huh?” The bartender asked, his voice farther away now.

His manner of speaking reminded Ignis of someone, and he swallowed back the ache nagging at his heart as he nodded. “Quite. I’ve just returned from Malmalam Thicket. Seems as though someone disrupted the creatures that normally inhabit it. Daemons perhaps, or other hunters. Whatever it was stirred up quite a ruckus. Made things quite a bit more difficult than they should have been.”

But the scepter he’d drawn from the tomb lay safely now in the armiger. Despite being roughed up a bit, it had been a job well done.

“Damn. Went all the way out there on your own?”

Ignis listened to the ice clinking as the bartender filled up the glass. Stirred.

“I assure you, I’m quite capable,” he said, after a long moment. His left eye burned behind his glasses, but he resisted the urge to rub at it. There was no way the bartender hadn’t noticed the scar, but he needn’t draw more attention to himself or his injuries than necessary.

He just wanted… well, he wasn’t quite sure what he wanted, but it wasn’t to talk about his job or his eyes or Noct.

He supposed he should be grateful for the dim lighting that filled the bar. It was lighter than outside, but not by much. Still, it would likely keep him from standing out from the others. Just another hunter here for a break and a drink.

A cold glass thumped against the side of his hand. “Here you go, sir.”

He closed his hand around it, drawing it closer. “Much obliged,” he said, inhaling the scents of the drink before bringing it to his lips. It smelled strong, with warm notes of vanilla and oak mixed with lemon, it smelled like, perhaps orange as well, with a few more subtler hints of caramel. He wished he could write it down. He’d just have to remember it. If it was good, he might try his hand at making it himself.

If he didn’t like it, perhaps Prompto might.

Though…

It burned nicely on the way down. He lowered the drink, the chilled glass refreshing between his hands as he held it and listened to the music weave in and out through the small bar.

There were so many competing noises that he startled at the sudden hand that clapped down on his shoulder and he cursed himself for not picking up on footsteps approaching earlier. The person plopped down on the stool beside him.

So much for enjoying a drink in his own company.

“You just get back from a hunt, too?” The stranger asked, and Ignis wasn’t sure whether he was relieved or disappointed that he didn’t recognize the voice. He sounded gruff, not unlike some of the other hunters, but his bones cracked and he sighed heavily as he sat. Tired, then, but not the same brand of fatigue as Ignis'.

He opened his mouth to answer, but the hunter spoke again: “They just keep coming and coming. My daughter asked if we’ll ever see the sun again, and I don’t even know what to say. I don’t have the heart to tell her what I really think.”

“You think the light won’t return,” Ignis said. He sighed, taking another sip of his drink. He wished he could give them all more hope, but it seemed to be a fear many of the civilians and hunters held these days.

The hunter scoffed. “We all know it. Don’t know why they keep sending us out to fight daemons. It’s all just a matter of time before we’re cut down or become one of those things ourselves. King Noctis is gone. He’s gotta be. He wouldn’t leave us in the dark like this. It gets to a point where you start to realize that hope might be for nothing, y’know? It’s been years.”

Ignis knew that much. If he weren’t able to feel the magic lacing through his fingers when he reached into the armiger, when he collected the royal arms, he might feel as hopeless as the rest of them.

“Your work is not for nothing,” he said, though he knew his reassurances were weak.

The hunter didn’t answer him, choosing instead to order himself a beer. Ignis strained his ears to make sure he didn’t miss anything else the hunter might say, but he had apparently fixed his attention on his drink, chugging it down and slamming the glass down on the table with a heavy sigh.

“And what about you, huh? The daemons don’t seem to be going easy on you, either.’’ The hunter addressed him again, the stool squeaking a bit as he leaned back. “Those daemons fuck up your eyes?”

Ah. So he had noticed. Ignis went to take another sip of his drink but when he raised it to his lips, it felt light. Empty. When had that happened?

Before he could say a word, the hunter cleared his throat and ordered them both another round. Maybe the first drink hadn’t been that terrible after all.

Ignis sighed. “No,” he answered. “It was no one’s fault but my own. A small sacrifice to save someone very important to me. I cannot regret it, and I’ve had time to adjust.” He was _still_ adjusting, truly, but he felt no need to offer up that particular bit of information.

The hunter grunted. “Lucky for them.”

He hadn’t really wanted to think about the others. Noctis, especially, but Gladio and Prompto as well. Yet it seemed he wouldn’t be able to ignore those feelings so easily.

“I’d do it again,” Ignis murmured.

The hunter shifted. And then shifted again in such a way that signified discomfort, so Ignis let the subject drop. He did better with that. Missing Noct— he refused to say mourning— and the others was a sore spot, and something he had to handle on his own.

“Where have you come from?” He asked the hunter, who was rather noisily finishing his drink.

Ignis was quite sure they were looping the same few songs, and it was starting to grate on his nerves a bit, but he did choose to come here after all. And in many ways, it was preferable to being outside. It was warm inside, and, more importantly, there were no daemons. He’d stick it out until he could ease the ache in his muscles from spending the last few days deep in the forest. The last time he’d gone there with the others, they had somehow missed the tomb nestled deep inside. It would have saved them the trouble, but then again, no matter how difficult it had been just on his own, it was nice to be able to keep busy.

“Ah, just around Ravatogh. Me and my team ran into some trouble with a ronin and a few imps. We had it handled until the iron giant dragged itself up outta the ground.” He paused. “I’m the only one that made it out.” He huffed. “Gonna need something stronger than this.”

“My apologies,” Ignis turned his head back down toward the table. “I did not mean to pry.”

“You and me both.” The barstool squeaked again as the hunter leaned forward to catch the bartender’s attention.

Ignis finished his drink as he processed everything the man had told him. “I wish I could give you more hope, but our king will return. Though it is up to us to protect ourselves in the meantime. Should you wish for any help, you need only ask. If I am available, I can assist you. I’ve had quite a lot of practice in the darkness, after all.”

The hunter chuckled. “You don’t say. Well, I appreciate the offer, but I think I’m throwing my hat in after tonight. No more hunting bones left in me. Gotta get my priorities together and all that. But I’ve got friends of my own in pretty high places. I’ve worked with Cor Leonis himself, after all.”

At this, Ignis chuckled, but the hunter didn’t seem to hear him as he continued to speak: “So if you ever need anything, we got your back, too. No need to go get yourself banged up in forests fighting daemons alone. Drop into the Hunters HQ, tell ‘em Russ can vouch for you. They’ll send some good guys with you.”

He could hear the commotion starting to die down a bit as more and more people began to make their way out of the bar, the music taking on a more solemn tone.

“Are there mostly hunters here?” Ignis asked. He wasn’t sure if he could handle Cor seeing him here. Or Gladiolus. Not yet, at least.

“Ah,” the hunter’s voice seemed to move around the room as he undoubtedly glanced around. “Nah. Couple here and there, but not many of us stationed out this way unless we’re picking up something specific.”

Ignis exhaled, the tension in his shoulders loosening a bit, though he couldn’t shake the heaviness that had gripped him ever since he’d walked out on Gladiolus several years ago. “I see.” He ran a hand through his now messy hair. He needed a shower. And some sleep. He hoped he could at least manage that.

“Suppose I should be taking my leave, too,” the hunter said, after a moment of silence. “Want to make it back home to my wife and daughter while there’s still people on the streets that can ward of the daemons.”

The stool scraped across the floor as the hunter stood and grunted. “Thanks for keeping an old man company.”

“You have my thanks as well,” Ignis responded. He drew his hand back to feel for the edge of the counter as he stood and pulled some gil from his pockets. As an extra gesture, set down some gil he hoped would cover the tab for his companion as well, catching the pleased murmur of thanks.

The cool breeze blew gently over him as he stepped outside, the quiet that filled the air filling him relief this time, rather than distress.The busy conversations and the music had given him a headache, and it was nice to be able to focus on his surroundings with more clarity. He hadn’t expected to find solace there, but he had found some nonetheless, and he would take the hunter’s words to heart.

As luck would have it, Ignis could think of a particular individual who might be interested in learning how to fight in the darkness, and perhaps even assist him with his promise to seek out the other royal arms. And if he was interested, Ignis would be honored to be the one to teach him.


	4. Chapter 4

“You should’ve seen their faces,” Prompto said with a small smile, back propped up against the headboard of the bed as he handed Lunafreya his cell phone. “Here, I took a picture of it. There’s a lot more on my camera, but I left it at the…”

He trailed off. The base. The base where Cindy had given him the Malmalam hunt from. Had she noticed he hadn’t come back? Had she told someone? Sent anyone to go looking for him? Had more hunters gotten injured or killed because of him? He had his phone, but he hadn’t even thought about calling anyone.

A smaller nagging part of his mind wondered if they even cared. After all, what was he to them? Barely even Crownsguard? And without Noct or the guys…

“Prompto?” Lunafreya asked, and Prompto felt the subtle nudge of his phone as Lunafreya pressed it back into his hands. “Perhaps you need to see these pictures more than I. Though I would love to see the rest of them.”

Prompto exhaled shakily, glancing down at the small image on the screen. Lunafreya must have changed it. His and Noctis’ beaming faces greeted them, decked out in matching shirts and chocobo hats from a carnival they’d all attended.

He sniffed and rubbed at his eyes. “Sorry, I was supposed to be the one cheering you up.”

Lunafreya gently laid her hand over Prompto’s free one. “I believe both of us might need that.”

He still had a thousand questions. It had been several weeks of recovery, and although Lunafreya had made herself known to him on day one, they hadn’t really had much time to catch up. She could never seem stay for with him for very long before she left to do… things? Prompto was still unsure of why exactly she kept having to leave, but whenever she was out, Kimya kept him busy with her makeshift potions and made sure his wounds were healing properly.

Today, it seemed, Lunafreya had some more time, but before Prompto worked up the courage to ask any of his most pressing questions, he heard knuckles rapping at the entrance of the bedroom as Kimya poked her head in.

“Suppertime, it is. To the table, you may come. Well enough now, you both are.”

Prompto turned to Lunafreya. “Both?” He asked.

Lunafreya nodded. “I have much I must tell you. I’m sure there are questions you wish to ask of me as well. Shall we talk over dinner?”

She reached out to help Prompto onto his shaky legs. For a moment, he thought they’d just give out under him, but with Lunafreya’s help, he was able to walk out of the room he had been staying in and into the kitchen.

It was quaint and cosy, like the guest bedroom and the rest of the house seemed to be. A large pot sat simmering on the stove as Prompto (with help) reached the table.

“How…” he started, as Lunafreya pulled out the chair.

“Please sit, you must be exhausted. My healing isn’t quite what it used to be, you see. I can still do it, but I need Kimya’s help.”

Prompto nodded, shaking away the last bit of fogginess from his mind as he sat down at the table. His body still felt heavy and weak, but nothing like it had with the confusion from the solider wasps.

He was still at a loss for words as Lunafreya and Kimya bustled about. Kimya finished up at the stove and poured stew into several bowls, handing them in turn to Lunafreya, who set them on the table.

Prompto glanced down at this bowl, filled to the brim with looked like some kind of hearty meat stew that Lunafreya placed in front of him. He took a deep breath and rubbed his face to cover up his mouth watering. The last time he’d had a meal like this… well, it’d probably been Ignis’s cooking with the guys.

He put his hands around the bowl, relishing in the warmth that it gave off. Did this mean he wasn’t dead or dreaming if he could feel how warn the bowl was? He couldn’t actually remember if he’d ever felt something warm in one of his dreams.

It was just all this, and seeing Lunafreya here after all they’d gone through following her supposed death just seemed like a joke. Or an insult? What would Noct say if he knew she’d been alive this whole time? Or Lord Ravus? And how was _he_ the one who was witnessing all of this?

“We thought you were dead,” Prompto said, finally finding his words. “Noct, he… the crystal, everything we did. Unless… am _I_ dead?”

Lunafreya shook her head solemnly. “We are not dead. Though I had thought my journey ended in Altissia. My calling was to awaken the Gods for Noctis and I did that duty, though I had always wished that once that was fulfilled, I could be with him.”

Her gaze softened as she pulled out a chair across from Prompto and took a seat herself. “Now I am not so sure. I know I was gravely injured at the altar. It should have been fatal. But between Altissia and waking up in Kimya’s care, I’m afraid some of my memories have still not yet returned. My body is still recovering.”

“You… don’t remember how you got here?”

“There were quite a lot of things I did not remember at first. But Kimya found me and took me in. It was quiet here, and I could recover in peace.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell us?” Prompto asked. “Tell Noct? Or your brother?”

Lunafreya’s gaze dropped. “By the time I remembered, I could not get word to Noctis,” she admitted. “I suppose I was already too late. And now that I have done what the Gods had called me to do, my healing is not what it used to be. It took more time than I had wished for my body to recover. And Ravus… I did try, but I’m afraid I haven’t heard anything from him either. I heard the radio broadcasts. I fear the worst.”

“So you’re lost,” Prompto murmured. He stirred the stew, his spoon clinking against the bowl. “I guess that makes two of us then.”

He looked up at Lunafreya, not wanting to pull his eyes away again in case everything that his senses were telling him was wrong and all of this _was_ some kind of dream or afterlife or something after all, but when Kimya joined them at the table, he couldn’t help but glance back down at his dinner and slurp up a spoonful of stew.

Their conversation fell into a lull as the three of them ate. The stew was warm and filling, but the phone in Prompto’s pocket felt heavy as he was reminded of similar meals that Ignis would make. He missed him. And Gladio, too. Hopefully, they were doing better than he was.

When he’d finished the last of his meal, he leaned back a bit in his chair, turning back up to Lunafreya. “I’ve always wanted to meet you, you know.” he said. “Ever since I found Pryna and you wrote me that letter. Back then, I thought I never would. And now,” he laughed weakly. “Noct would be so jealous if he knew.” He paused, thoughtfully. “Maybe if he knew you were alive, he’d come back.”

Lunafreya smiled at Prompto, but it didn’t reach her eyes and it only made his heart hurt. “May I ask you something, Prompto?” She asked softly.

Prompto leaned forward, the front legs of his chair thumping back against the ground as he nodded.

“How long has it been?” She asked. “Since Altissia? I’m afraid… I don’t know how long it’s been since I…”

“Oh,” Prompto rubbed one of his palms with his thumb. “He’s been gone for like three years now and some months. I’ve been on my own for about that time, too. Maybe a little less. At first, I hung with the Gladio and Ignis, but well, it was weird. Without Noct. It was like we all wanted different things, and it got harder and harder to keep everything together.” He swallowed. “To keep us together.”

“I am terribly sorry, Prompto,” Lunafreya said.

Prompto glanced up, and it was like the first time he’d really gotten a decent look at her. She looked nothing like the woman that had given an impassioned speech in Altissia. Although she still carried herself in a way that looked dignified and poised, her hair was done up in a messy ponytail and she had dark circles under her eyes. He hadn’t seen himself in the mirror, but he could hazard a guess that he probably looked about the same.

“Nah,” He said, with a slight shrug. “We’re all just doing our best. Though speaking of, I guess I should call Cindy or Cor or something and let them know I didn’t die out there.”

“What _were_ you doing out there?” Lunafreya asked.

Kimya cleared her throat then, and Prompto realized sheepishly that she was still sitting at the table beside him. He rubbed his neck and murmured an apology.

“I don’t think Kimya’s very happy about it,” he admitted, “But I was on a hunt. I picked up a tip from Cindy. She’s a mechanic.” His cheeks felt warm and he dropped his eyes back down to his empty bowl. “We help each other out when we can. Anyway, I guess I sorta misjudged the weather. It’s already so dark and then a storm rolled in, and I sorta stepped right into a soldier wasp nest. Literally. And it like alerted every single daemon and creature in the area.”

“Confused, he was,” Kimya added. “And dying. Had it not been for your healing, he would have.”

Lunafreya pursed her lips. “And your potions,” she said. “Kimya has told me that she is the only one who lives around these parts. She’s seen as a bit of an outcast by those she once held dear to her, much like us now, I suppose.” To Kimya, she added, “Thank you for being kind enough to let us stay for so long. The time has gotten away from me.”

She was right, Prompto thought. It was nice to have somewhere warm and safe to recover from his run-in with the wasps and the daemons, but he couldn’t let it stop him. He still had a job to do.

He opened his mouth, but his words fell short when he noticed Lunafreya’s shoulders had slumped a bit. “I’m afraid I do not know why I am here. I did what I needed to, and what purpose should I serve now? And after all this… I cannot even see Noctis. I cannot tell him…”

In a (probably lame, if he was being honest) effort to cheer her up, he half-walked, half-limped over to her side of the table, kneeling down and holding out his phone in front of both of them. “Let’s take a picture. I’m sure Noct would like to see what we’ve gotten up to while he’s been gone. We can show him when he gets back. ” _If._

“I look a mess,” Luna sniffed, and Prompto forced a laugh.

“No one will see it but us and Noct.”

Lunafreya obliged him, and he threw up his fingers into a peace sign before he shoved his phone back into his pocket. “… Do you mind if I tell the guys you’re here?” He asked Lunafreya. “Like, alive here? I… don’t know if they’ll answer, but I’d feel… I think they have to know.”

“Of course,” Lunafreya replied gently.

She was staring at him, and after a moment, Prompto realized that she was waiting for him to call them _now_. “Oh. Later, I mean.”

He would probably melt into the floor out of sheer embarrassment if he tried calling Ignis and Gladio in front of everyone and nobody answered— which, if any of the previous times were any indication, they wouldn’t. No one needed to see his disappointment.

“Y’know, um,” Prompto started again. “If Malmalam proved anything, I wasn’t doing so hot on that last hunt all on my own. So if you want something to do… how do you feel about fighting some daemons? Do you know how to fight?”

“I do, though I’m afraid I no longer have my trident.”

“No big. We’ll pick you up a sword or something back at the base. I was just thinking. If you’re interested? I could use the company. There’s always been so much I wanted to talk to you about, so…”

“Daemons,” Lunafreya said softly. “Those poor people.”

“We can’t save them. There’s no human part left in them anymore.” Prompto added quickly, but he didn’t need to. Lunafreya had already exchanged nods with Kimya and was getting to her feet.

“All right. Please allow me to join you. When Noctis returns, I would love to be by your side to greet him.”

Prompto smiled, and this time, it didn’t feel quite as forced. “You got it.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Okay, step two. Cut the anak meat into small pieces and marinate it in the sauce for a half hour.”

“How small?”

He could hear Talcott shuffling around behind him, and Ignis was fairly certain it wasn’t necessary to make that much noise just to read a recipe. “Umm… I don’t know, like two or three inch cubes? I can’t really read your handwriting.”

_Well I bloody well can’t either_ , Ignis wanted to retort, but he bit his tongue. Talcott didn’t deserve his frustration. It was frustrating he couldn’t do it himself, frustrating that it’d been so long since losing his vision and he still couldn’t make anything more complicated than this.

He should be able to. He’d been hunting down royal arms for years. Even managed to find several of them and dispose of the daemons that squirmed out from miasma, the walls, the ground…

“Mr. Scientia?”

And now that he was 14, Talcott was glued to his side. He’d offered to train him as an apprentice of sorts after speaking to that hunter at the bar, to which Talcott had enthusiastically agreed. And a few years into his training, he’d approached Ignis about wanting to fight real daemons and help him out with his search, and who was Ignis to argue with him?

He’d proven his skills, and Ignis knew better than most that Talcott deserved that chance to accompany him out in the real world. It was _their_ world now after all. Talcott may be young, but Iris had started hunting when she only a few years older than that. Better Talcott learn early, and truth be told, Ignis could do with the company. It had been several long lonely years before he’d met up with Talcott in Lestallum.

“Yes?” Ignis murmured. He reached out to grab the peppers, his elbow knocking the knife off the cutting board.

_Don’t catch it._

With a hiss, he drew his hand back. It would be the worst time for an accident. Completely avoidable— a mistake he hadn’t made since his teenage years, and wasn’t about to make again. The knife clattered against the stone of the haven, and he cursed under his breath, feeling around the ground until his fingers brushed the handle.

“Here, take this.”

Before Ignis could reach out, Talcott pressed a towel into his hand, and he used it to rub off the knife, reorienting himself and brushed his fingers across the cutting board until he felt the squish of the anak meat.

“Thank you,” he sighed. “I’ll estimate the size, try to get them about that. What next?”

“Oh, okay. After that, add the Leiden peppers and anak meat to the skewer, and bake it for 15 minutes on each side, and then serve with the sauce.”

He finished chopping up the meat, placing the cubes in the sauce bowl to marinate. “Set a timer, would you?” He asked Talcott, who murmured an affirmative. He turned around, pressing his back to the table, folding his hands across his chest so Talcott wouldn’t see him clench his fists.

This should be _easy._

But it had also been years since he cooked this dish.

“Damn good,” he could almost hear Gladio’s praise, almost feel his strong arms around him. “Just what I needed, my favorite meal with my favorite cook.”

There’s a reason Ignis hadn’t attempted this in so long. But he’d be damned if he’d let Noct return without a well-cooked meal to give him. All this time, and nothing to show for it? It would be truly unacceptable.

“Mr. Scientia?”

Ignis turned to look toward the boy— force of habit, really— and he huffed out a breath, almost a chuckle, but not quite. “You know you may call me Ignis, Talcott.”

“O-oh, right, Mr. Ignis! Um, I’m looking at our map here, and I think if we stop at the Saxham Outpost, we should be able to find the next of the royal arms. I heard people talking. There doesn’t seem to be any scary legends or ghost stories surrounding this one, so we can maybe ask around and see if anyone knows where it might be. I think, from what we know about where they’re all located, it might be the next closest.”

Ignis hummed. “We could do with an easier one this time around,” he agreed. While he waited for the meat to marinate, he prepared the baking dish, and transferred the marinated anak and peppers to the skewer once Talcott’s alarm sounded. “15 minutes?”

“On each side,” Talcott confirmed. “Or until it’s cooked through.”

That was a little less helpful, but Ignis didn’t say so. He listened to the sizzling meat, noting with subtle relief that it was actually smelling quite good. Or perhaps he was just hungrier than usual. It had been a particularly long week.

He finished cooking the other side while Talcott prattled on about this or that. At one point, he thought he’d heard Talcott slip something in about having spotted a cactuar figurine in Lestallum, and Ignis made a mental note to purchase it next time he was in town.

Talcott plated the skewers while Ignis cleaned up his makeshift cooking area, and he joined Talcott around the fire after he was done.

“I can’t have you sugarcoat this,” he told Talcott as he lifted his plate. “If they’re horrid, I need you to tell me. I won’t get better otherwise, and Prompto always tried to soften the blow. Don’t.”

“Sure thing.” Talcott crunched into his skewer, and by that alone, Ignis could already tell he’d overcooked them.

“Think we left ‘em on too long,” Talcott said, confirming Ignis’ suspicions. “And I think we were too heavy-headed on the paprika. It’s spicy.”

_We_ , he’d said, though it had been Ignis who’d done all the cooking.

Still, it seemed to have turned out better than his last dinner mishap, when Talcott had rattled off what seemed like a whole list of things that tasted overdone or underdone or too salty, or anything other than how it should have been.

“That’s a start,” Ignis sighed. He took a bite of his own skewer. Talcott was right. A few minutes less should have done the trick nicely. He made a mental note of that too, as well as one to dial back on the paprika. “You’re right, it shouldn’t have this much crunch.”

“It’s still good, though.”

Ignis was going to tell him not to bother if it wasn’t palatable. He was sure they had some canned food laying around somewhere, but Talcott tore back into his skewer, eating hungrily, and after a few more bites, Ignis realized that it wasn’t actually half bad.

He was getting there.

There were still several dishes he wanted to try his hand at again, namely, some of Noct’s favorites, but he could take it slow. As long as their skies were still consumed by darkness, he had time.

“Prairie-style skewers,” Ignis heard himself say aloud. He hadn’t meant to, but now Talcott had paused, likely looking at him, waiting for him to continue. “It used to be one of Gladio’s favorite dishes.”

“Well you can make it for him!”

As it was, Ignis wasn’t sure Gladiolus wanted anything to do with him anymore. He hadn’t heard from him since he’d left, and it’d been years now. Surely, if Gladio wanted to talk, he would have called?

Then again, Ignis hadn’t tried to contact him, either. It went both ways, he supposed.

“Yes,” Ignis nodded, mostly to himself as he took another bite of his dinner. “It’s probably been some while since someone cooked for him.”

“How’s he doing, anyway?”

The fire crackled, warming them from the chilly air outside the haven. “I… can’t say. I haven’t seen him in nearly seven years, probably less recently than you. I haven’t seen Prompto for even longer.”

Talcott was quiet for a few moments. He must have finished up his dinner. “You should catch up with them. Or maybe we’ll run into them in one of the towns. Miss Cindy said Mr. Amicitia helped her out with some supply runs every once in a while. I think Prompto dropped by a few times early on, but I guess he headed out to Cleigne soon after. They’d probably like to hear from you?”

Ignis took a bite of pepper, chewing thoughtfully. “Quite honestly, Talcott, I… don’t know that they would.”

He took great care to make sure his shoulders stayed poised and didn’t slump. He didn’t want Talcott to notice the subtle shift in body language.

Talcott sniffed, and got to his feet, some twigs crunching under his boots as he stretched. “I’m gonna turn in now, Mr. Sci- Ignis, sir,” he said, his plate clinking as he lifted it. “I’m going to need my strength if you’re gonna show me that new move you were talking about.”

Ignis chuckled softly. “Certainly. If you’re up for it. I’ll take the first shift tonight. I’ll wake you when the fire starts to die down. We can’t risk daemons creeping up while we sleep.”

Talcott seemed to hesitate halfway between his tent and the fire. “Yes, sir,” he said. He cleared his throat. “Um. I don’t know if this is my place, but I do really think the others would be happy if you tried to contact them. I know I would like to hear from my friends, even though it’s been years, too. Guess they might’ve forgotten about me. But I know yours wouldn’t ever, sir.”

Ignis listened quietly as Talcott washed the dishes, the gentle smell of soap a welcome one after all the dirt and blood that enveloped his senses from the last several days spent working their way through one of the royal tombs.

A part of Ignis still worried every time he tried to send the new weapon to the armiger, but a larger part relished the relief that washed over him when it worked. It was a good sign, and one that kept him going despite everything that had happened.

When he heard the rustle of the tent flap, he moved over to sit beside the fire, the heat against his cheek as the shadows flickered. Unfortunately, even if he had wanted to try and call one of the others, he’d left his phone back in his old place with Gladio. He’d done it intentionally at the time, a decision he’d since come to regret.

His fingers skimmed over the scar across his left eye. Would he still have Gladio at his side if he’d never been injured? It did him no good to ponder hypotheticals, but in the stillness of the night, his mind still had a tendency to wander. And even though he couldn’t see it, he could still sense the brief shifting flickers of the firelight against the dark of the rest of the world.

He couldn’t say for sure whether he’d find it in him to track down a phone, but perhaps the next time he ran into Prompto or Gladio, he could proudly present them with a fresh warm dinner.

It wouldn’t fix things between them all right away, but he hoped it might be a start.


	6. Chapter 6

Cupping his hands up to his mouth, Gladio exhaled, hoping to bring back some warmth to his fingers. Typically, he ran hot, but there was something about the perpetual darkness and the frost that permeated the air and chilled him down to the bone. He supposed it didn’t really help that he’d been carrying his greatsword around without gloves for the last several hours and had yet to come across any of the daemons Cor had assured him were out and about.

There was one in particular the Gladio was tracking down though. Hunters had been going missing around the Hunter HQ, apparently vanishing after being sent daemon hunting near the Vesperpool. The reports had been first sent to Dave, then to Cor, and from him, found their way to Gladio.

He had tried to round up some backup first, although he’d be the first to admit he’d half-assed it. Could’ve found people if he really tried, but the first several were too afraid, urging him not to go either.

But he’d proven his worth when it came to difficult battles. He’d bested Gilgamesh, after all. He could manage this, too. As the King’s Shield, a few Vesperpool daemons wouldn't be anything he couldn’t handle.

But damn, this cold was getting to him. He wiggled his fingers, trying to get some feeling back into them as he picked his greatsword back up from where he’d propped it up against a tree to warm his hands and then rounded the corner around the bank, careful not to step too far out onto the frozen water and risk it cracking beneath him.

It didn’t really help him feel any warmer, but at least his hands wouldn’t be so stiff. He shifted his grip on his greatsword and pulled out his flashlight, tapping it a few times and directing it out onto the water.

“Shit.”

He switched his flashlight off, but not before the massive scales of a snake, no, _several_ snakes shifted, and revealed the giant tangle of woman-snake-daemon that had been resting in the middle of the lake as she fixed her eyes on him.

This must be it. The daemon that killed all those hunters. Gladio cursed again under his breath, and then switched his flashlight back on because she’d already seen him anyway, and clipped it to his belt, readying his greatsword as the snake woman rose up, stretching to her full height.

“Where is he?” She bellowed, her voice seeming to echo around Gladio as he drew nearer. “Bring him to me!”

“Sorry, all you’re getting is the blade of my sword,” Gladio growled back. He threw himself at the daemon, and now that she was no longer curled up into herself, he could see there were even more snakes that made up her hair.

He hadn’t read or heard anything about _this_ daemon. But he didn’t have time to beat himself up over it. She was here now, and like it or not, he was going to have to find out what was most effective the hard way.

One of the snakes at her feet struck out and snapped at Gladio’s arm. He ducked and rolled out of its path, bringing his greatsword down and slicing at its massive scales.

Before he could bring his sword down a second time, the daemon swung around, two large snakes smashing into him and sending him crashing down against the ice, the resounding crack almost more frightening to him than the beast.

If the ice goes, he goes with it, and if the daemon didn’t kill him, the cold shock or hypothermia could. He had to get back on solid ground.

He scrambled to his feet, snatching his greatsword back up just in time to parry as the daemon shot green shards straight for him. They vanished upon hitting his sword, but the color could mean poison.

“Can see now why they said not to go it alone,” Gladio snarled under his breath. “Damn daemon.” He launched himself up into the air and brought his sword heavily down on the snake woman, relieved to hear her cry out in pain as he toppled backwards and narrowly avoided her counterstrike.

She approached him, trying to grab for him but he dodged that too, whirling around to deliver several successive blows to one of her snakes as the woman let out an ear-splitting screech and the snake dropped limp.

That just left the rest of her.

Gladio reeled back as the woman recoiled, the dead snake sliding across the ice as she pulled herself back into the shadows.

But Gladio couldn’t let her go that easy. Not as long as she was killing their hunters and frightening the ones that were left. He was here to fight daemons, and he would take this one down. He had a reputation to uphold, and a daemon to slay.

Adjusting his flashlight, he pursued her, keeping to solid ground as he rushed through the frozen trees at the edge of the water.

This one was smart— he supposed she had to be if she’d killed so many of their hunters. As soon as the daemon spotted him on her trail, she reeled back, positioning herself right in the middle of the frozen lake.

_Prompto could shoot her from here_ , he thought, before he shook himself out of it. Prompto wasn’t here, hadn’t been with him for years. Hell, he didn’t even know _where_ he was anymore. All but dropped off the face of Eos.

He narrowed his eyes. Like it or not, it was just him now. And he was going to kill this daemon. He took several careful steps onto the ice, testing how thick it was.

It was slippery, but solid— It had likely been frozen for some time then. _Good_. With newfound courage, he raced out onto the ice towards the writhing jumble of reptile and woman, raising his greatsword high into the air and cleaving it through the neck of the second large snake.

The daemon _screamed_. She grabbed desperately for the other snake as it dropped limp, its severed head sliding across the ice. Gladio kicked it out of his way, grimacing at he lifted his greatsword up again for another blow.

He didn’t notice the green beam until it was too late. It hit him at full blast, knocking him off balance. He tried to turn his head away, but it was too late. He doubled over and lowered himself to his knees, stomach turning with nausea.

Damn it. For the first time in eight years, he grasped frantically for the armiger.

_And it worked._

An antidote appeared in the palm of his hand as his vision blurred. He turned away to retch before smashing the antidote against his chest, and with a heavy sigh of relief, he could feel the magic coursing through him. His mind cleared.

But before he could get to his feet, the daemon thrust out her hand, knocking Gladio’s greatsword out of reach before she grabbed up the limp body of one of her snakes and smashed it through the ice right beside him.

Gladio was plunged into the water, fear engulfing him as his entire body seemed to freeze. His flashlight shorted out, and he didn’t even have a moment to drop it and try to pull himself out before the daemon slid over to where she had knocked him under and covered his exit.

He was cold. So fucking cold he could barely think, but he knew he had to get out. He didn’t have time.

His lungs screaming, he glanced up, his whole body freezing and burning and so numb as he tried to get eyes on a lighter patch of ice.

He was going to die.

No.

No.

He reached out, recalling his greatsword. If the armiger worked, that meant Noctis was still alive. And not just as a hope or a wish, but as indisputable truth. And Gladio would be damned if he gave up now. His greatsword rematerializing in his hands, he shoved it upwards, the ice splitting as he shot up out of the water, gasping for air as his head swam. He couldn’t see. Everything was too dark and there was water in his eyes and the cold penetrated his clothes, his skin, _everywhere._

He tried to let go of his greatsword to pull himself up out of the hole, but his fingers froze around it and refused to let go, his body not cooperating with his mind as the numbness pierced through him. His movements were too slow, too heavy, too numb— and as he tried to will his arms to help pull him out, he realized that instead of climbing upward he was slipping back under, the ice he’d broken the hole through growing farther and farther away.

He gasped, the water flooding his lungs as he inhaled, _panicked_ , tried to exhale. The water seemed to fill his lungs, freezing him from the inside out. He tried to get his bearings, and then finally his fingers unclenched and his greatsword dropped from his frozen fingers, drifting out of sight.

He grasped frantically for the surface.

And then something gripped him. _The daemon_. It had to be. He tried to fight it, but his limbs were too slow, too frozen, too numb.

The daemon screamed again, and he felt something thump against his side. He was out of the water. How did he get out of the water? He rolled away from the hole, gasping for breath that wouldn’t come, shivers wracking his entire body, but fuck, he couldn’t open his eyes. He couldn’t feel anything. He couldn’t feel anything.

He couldn’t feel…

***

Gladio awoke to the smell of smoke and the gentle crackling of a fire. It was warm against his still-frigid skin, and he felt, all things considered, like absolute shit.

Pulling himself to a sitting position, he groaned out in pain before he could help himself, only to be hushed as something was draped over his shoulders.

“Careful now. Knees to your chest. I’ve got some tea going that I want you to drink in just a moment.”

Gladio cursed under his breath, his head pounding. He still felt nauseous, and like he was both freezing and burning up at the same time. Reaching up to his shoulders, he closed his fingers around the edges of a soft blanket, which he eagerly tugged more tightly around himself before doing what he was told.

His heart hammered in his chest. “H-how…” he stammered, his voice hoarse. “Ignis.”

“Yes,” came the response.

Gladio didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He opened his mouth and it was something in between that bubbled out. “The daemon.”

“Taken care of, I assure you. It won’t trouble us any longer.”

“You… you…”

“Killed it? I suppose. Finished it off, more like. You did quite a number on it yourself.” A pause. “Though I had to use a phoenix down on you.”

He’d died. He’d died there, after all. Gladio’s throat tightened and he moved to cover his face, only to be interrupted by a gloved hand lifting his chin and pushing a mug into his hands.

“This will warm you. Take your time.”

“I know what you’re gonna say,” Gladio grumbled, though his voice lacked any real conviction. “Don’t bother.”

“All right then.”

Ignis looked different. His hair had grown out a bit, and instead of his old hairstyle, it was swept back into more of a pompadour. He was frowning at Gladio, but it was still him. Still Ignis.

Not sure what else to say in this kind of situation, Gladio opened his mouth, probably against his better judgment, and said, “You look good.”

Ignis scoffed. “Hardly. Though I’m afraid I can’t say the same about you. On any account.”

Gladio took a deep breath, inhaling the smoky aroma of the tea before taking a careful sip. Ignis was right, it warmed him up as he sipped at it. Between the tea and the fire, he was slowly starting to be able to feel his limbs again.

“You know how a phoenix down works, so don’t push yourself,” Ignis was saying, likely to fill the silence more than anything else. “If you start feeling worse, tell me. I have a potion to spare.”

“How’d you find me? Did Cor-”

Ignis paused, turning to face Gladio, his mouth pressed thin. “No,” he sighed. “I was in the area. In search of the last of the royal arms. I heard daemons. And then I heard you.”

Gladio shuddered. “Guess I’m the luckiest man in Eos.”

“The only one to face Melusine and live to tell about it,” Ignis replied. “I need to know what happened back there. It’s not like you to do something so…”

Stupid, Gladio guessed he’d say, but he just shrugged, before remembering that Ignis wouldn’t see it. He cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice steady. “How would you know? You left.”

“You could have come with me. For a while, I thought you still might.”

“Me too,” Gladio admitted. He shivered again. “Ignis. Iggy. I…”

“Not now,” Ignis said gently. “I’ve been training Talcott, and he should be back shortly. We will talk, certainly. But rest up first.”

Gladio nodded. He took another sip of his tea. “Thank you,” he said softly. “I’d still be dead if it weren’t for you. I’ve done a lot of thinking. Gone over and over in my head what I’d say if I ever saw you again. And yeah, we’ll talk. But when I was fightin’ that daemon,”

_Melusine, Ignis had called it?_

“I realized something. You were right, Iggy. You were right the whole damn time. The armiger. It still works. Noct’s alive. And I… I wanna be by your side when he comes back.”

For the first time in nearly eight years, Gladio saw Ignis smile.


	7. Chapter 7

Lunafreya was no stranger to daemons. She had seen what the scourge did to people, but she had also seen what hurt and greed had done to them. She’d seen loss, she’d seen the lust for power. She’d seen people kill for it, _because_ of it. She’d seen monsters; both human and daemon alike.

She’d faced the worst of the world, but now, even in these dark times, there was still light. There was light in Kimya when she rescued her, nursed her back to health. There was light in Prompto, even though he was hurting.

And perhaps, somewhere deep within her, there still may be some light left in her, too?

She hoped she could repay Kimya for her life, though she did not know what exactly would be worthy of such grace and kindness. When they were done, perhaps, whenever that would be, she could pay Kimya another visit. Though she could be cranky, she had a good heart, and she had seemed to appreciate their company while they had been there— and solemn when they had taken their leave.

Lunafreya woke before Prompto did, it seemed, and she stepped out of her tent. The sky was dark, as usual— she never could quite tell how long they’d slept nor the difference between day and night, but she supposed that if she was awake, she might as well make herself useful.

Kneeling down against the blue light of the stone, she dug through Prompto’s bag for one of the cans of food, sighing when her fingers scraped the bottom. This was their last meal, it seemed. They’d have to finish up quickly and make their way back to one of the cities. Perhaps the one Prompto had taken hunts from.

But as she set about opening the can and starting up a fire, Prompto came scrambling out of his tent, smiling anxiously, his his eyes wide as he held up the cell phone buzzing in his hand.

“It’s him,” he said, rubbing his eyes and leaving a mask of dirt across the rest of his face. “After all this time, it’s really him.”

Lunafreya craned her neck to try and get a better look at the phone, but she didn’t have enough time to make out the name before Prompto spoke the name himself.

“It’s Gladio.”

***

Gladio pocketed the phone, looking over to where Ignis and Talcott sat. Talcott looked up at him expectantly, hands folded anxiously in his lap.

“Well?” Ignis asked.

Gladio smiled, and although Ignis couldn’t see it, he hoped he could hear it in his tone. “He’s on his way. And he’s… got someone he thinks we oughta know about.”

“Oh?” Ignis sounded intrigued and he leaned forward in his chair. “Were you given any ideas as to—”

“No,” Gladio leaned back, folding his arms across his chest. “But we should get going. He suggested we meet up in Hammerhead.”

“It’s been much too long since we’ve been together, I think,” Ignis murmured. “It appears we’ve all learned that the hard way.”

“Damn right.” Gladio grunted as he stretched and got to his feet, offering Ignis a hand. “Here, let’s get going.”

***

Lunafreya glanced at Prompto out of the corner of her eye, watching him tug at his shirt and adjust his gloves as he idled in the parking lot. His confidence had come a long way over their years spent hunting, but here, it seemed, was a whole other situation.

Apparently fighting daemons was easier than being reunited with ones friends. She didn’t know Ignis or Gladiolus well enough though to speak to that. She’d seen their names in hers and Noctis’ journal here and there, photos and silly things they had said, or their shortcomings when Noctis was upset, but she had not spoken to them in person, had never known them as children, had never fought alongside them as an adult.

Now, she supposed, that might change.

Prompto still had not budged from the drivers seat. He ran a hand through his hair, adjusted the bandana around his upper arm. “Do you think they’re here yet?”

“We will only know once we go inside,” Lunafreya responded, and Prompto laughed, rubbing his neck.

“Yeah, I know.”

She turned to look out the window at the dimly lit diner. Takka’s Pit Stop. Was this a place they frequented often? Had Noctis joined them? She felt a twinge of jealousy at how little she knew of him, even after all this time. The pictures had been lovely, the stories warmed her heart, but even more so now, it pained her to know that she had not been able to share those moments with them. With _him_.

Lunafreya turned back to look at Prompto, who had begun drumming on the window-frame of the car. “Shall we?” She asked.

Prompto cleared his throat. Nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m ready.” He pressed his hand against his pocket and took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”

***

“Where do you want me, sir?” Talcott asked, watching as Gladiolus and Ignis took seats opposite each other at the diner. Ignis turned toward him, but he couldn’t really fully gauge the expression he was fixing him with past the dark glasses that obscured his eyes.

“You may sit with us if you wish, or perhaps the table over there.” Ignis gestured to his left— clearly he knew the place well if he remembered the exact location of the other tables relative to the booth.

“Right.” Talcott pulled out a chair, waving sheepishly to Takka as it scraped along the floor. Many of the tables had since been removed over the years, as the diner had morphed into somewhat of a base, but a handful of booths still remained in the far corner. Up near the kitchen area, a large pot sat on the stove, and Talcott’s stomach growled just thinking about having a nice hearty meal to warm them all up.

Ignis sighed again, and Talcott plopped down into his chair, adjusting his hat as he watched the tense scene in front of him. Neither Gladiolus nor Ignis seemed to be uncomfortable with _each other_ now, they’d spent the last year or so catching up and becoming more friendly again. It seemed whatever tension that had initially driven them apart had, for the most part, eased up. But now, they seemed anxious about the one that _hadn’t_ arrived yet.

Headlights flashed through the dark outside, and Ignis lifted an arm to cover his still-sensitive eyes while Gladio peered out the window, trying to get a better look. “Mm, looks like he took us up on the invitation after all.”

“I had hoped he would.” Ignis folded his arms. “Certainly kept us waiting.”

***

Lunafreya would have suggested she go in first, but Prompto seemed intent on it being him, and she was willing to oblige him. She stood several paces behind, watching his hand hover against the door— though still without enough force to push it open.

“Are you ready?” He asked, and though Lunafreya wasn’t entirely sure he was speaking to her, she answered in an affirmative anyway.

He pushed open the door. Lunafreya followed behind him. The diner, as it was, didn’t really look as though it still served its original purpose very often. Instead, it seemed to have been converted into more of a multi-purpose space, with a man idling near a stove against the far wall and several radios on stacks of boxes scattered about. Toward the other side of the diner off to the right, a couple booths had been pushed against the windows, with a few tables opposite.

There, a young man that Lunafreya had never met got to his feet, pulling off his hat and holding it at his side as he bowed.

“Mr. Argentum! You came! And…” His eyes shifted to settle on Lunafreya, narrowing as they studied her. “I don’t believe we have met before, Miss. My name is Talcott Hester. I—” he paused as Gladiolus pushed himself up out of his seat and thew a hand out in front of the young man. Talcott, he had called himself.

“What the hell?” Gladiolus scrunched up his face. The look he gave her was much more scrutinizing. “This some kinda sick joke?”

“Who is it?” Ignis asked.

“N-no!” Prompto exclaimed. He stepped aside to give Lunafreya some more room, and she took a step forward as Prompto continued: “I didn’t believe it at first either. But what she said made a lot of sense. I was doing a hunt in Malmalam that got messy. I had to be rescued. Guess I was pretty lucky. And well…” he rubbed his neck. “I think they should hear your story from you.”

Lunafreya caught the glance that Gladiolus directed towards Ignis, who, even though he couldn’t have seen it, appeared to recognize and acknowledge it nonetheless.

“I know there is been much I have missed,” Lunafreya looked between the group of them. “I should have made myself known earlier, but as I told Prompto, after the events of Altissia, I was found by an older woman named Kimya Auburnbrie. She helped me to regain my strength, and healed wounds that should have been fatal. Some years later, we found Prompto, and we have spent the last several years fighting more daemons than I thought existed. I only wish to aid you all in protecting this world for Noctis’ return, so that I may be able to see him again.”

Ignis frowned, and Lunafreya held her breath as he started to say something and then seemingly decided against it. “We will stand by Noct’s side when he returns, aid him when necessary, but there may be things he must do alone. As long as you are willing to accept that, you may join us.”

If there was anything more occupying his thoughts, Ignis did not voice them. Lunafreya exchanged a glance with Prompto and then nodded. “Thank you. I would love nothing more. As I heard from your phone call, there is much still to do. Am I correct?”

“You are.” Ignis answered. He gestured across the table. “Please sit. All of you.”

***

One of Ignis’ hands folded over the other as Miss Lunafreya finished her story, a motion Talcott recognized to mean Ignis was focused, listening intently. Whether he believed it or not was another story. Ignis could be a hard man to read, especially for Talcott, who often had to wait for the other to voice his innermost thoughts.

“And then I showed up,” Prompto chimed in. “And both Kimya and Luna helped patch me up. I… guess I needed it. I did something pretty dumb.”

Ignis chuckled. “Yes, well, you aren’t the only one, Prompto. Gladiolus and I also had our shortcomings. I daresay we all did things that were against our better judgement.”

Prompto’s eyes widened. “Really?” He wrung his hands on the table. “I guess… I sorta thought… well, you weren’t answering my calls, so I thought maybe you were better off without me.”

“Certainly not,” Ignis assured him. “In fact, training Talcott has shown me what Noct would have wanted for us all along. We are stronger together. We cannot protect this world alone.”

“We’re the glue,” Prompto said softly. “Guess it wouldn’t be the same if he came back and one of us was missing, huh?”

“Ignis taught me a lot,” Talcott said, clearing his throat. “And I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher. Cor, Miss Yaeger and Miss Cindy, too. I agree. We’re stronger when we all work together. Combine our skills.” He turned to Lunafreya, who was smiling fondly in his direction. He offered her a smile in return. “What do you say?”

Gladio huffed, grunting as he pushed himself up from his seat. He gestured for Prompto to stand up as he nudged Ignis with the toe of his boot. “Up, both of you. There’s something I gotta say.”

Talcott caught Prompto bite his lip as he got to his feet. He was about to stand as well, but Lunafreya tapped his shoulder, shaking her head just slightly.

This was something they needed to do just on their own, it seemed. He nodded and leaned back.

Gladio crossed his arms. Uncrossed them. Narrowed his eyes. “Damn it,” he grumbled. Straightened his back and looked between Prompto and Ignis. Then he stepped forward and pulled them both into a tight hug. “Look. I’m sorry okay? We should never have split up like that. We ain’t ever gonna do something like this again, got it?”

He pulled back, collecting himself despite blinking back tears. Prompto sniffed, leaning back as well.

Ignis held onto the hug a few beats longer, and when he stepped back, he nodded.

Prompto wiped his eyes. “Sure thing, big guy. From now on, it’s us. All of us.”

Gladio grinned, and shot a thumbs-up at Lunafreya and Talcott. “And you guys, too. His highness will be in for a surprise, that’s for damn sure.” Once more, he returned his attention back to Ignis and Prompto. “So. You got yourselves a deal.”

This time, it was Ignis’ turn to smile. “Here we are, then. Just as it should be.”

And whatever came next, they would face it.

_Together._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to Saber for the wonderful art for this chapter! You can find her on Twitter (@Saber22209), AO3 (Silver_Aria) and Instagram (winter_aria).
> 
> Thank you all for joining me on this journey! I had so much fun participating in this event and I'm so excited to finally be able to share the finished product!


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